A significant problem in educational practice is teacher bias. Teacher biases have implications for race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. Teachers must be willing to examine their own beliefs and recognize and overcome their own biases. Teachers must evaluate their practices in relation to their ideals as well as recognize and value the position of power they hold in their classrooms to be true social justice educators (Cooper, 2003). According to the most recent data from the Department of Education, racially diverse preschoolers are disciplined at a rate 3 times higher than their White classmates (Rich, 2014). Department of Education data shows that 48% of kindergarten suspensions were among Black students who make up only 18% of all students attending kindergarten (Rich, 2014). These data are deeply disturbing. What could a preschooler do to warrant a suspension? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2004) reported that Black students continue to trail White students in educational access, achievement, and achievement. Research on teacher effectiveness of Black students highlights that teachers' beliefs about Black students' potential have a large impact on their learning. Teachers tend to teach Black students from a deficit perspective (King, 1994; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Mitchell, 1998). White teachers often aim to make up for what they believe is missing in a Black student's background (Foorman, Francis & Fletcher, 1998). The deficit model of education attempts to force students into the existing system of teaching and learning and does not rely on the strengths of cultural characteristics or learning preferences (Lewis, Hancock... middle of paper.. .). nds Pattern of Inequality Along Racial Lines, The New York Times, p A18.Shaver, JP (1992) Epistemology and Social Science Teacher Education Paper presented at the International Conference on Subject-Specific Teaching Methods and Teacher Education [Online] . Available: ERIC Database no. ED355143. United States Commission on Civil Rights (2004). Education. (2006). No Child Left Behind Executive Summary Report. Retrieved September 14, 2006, from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). The State of Education 2004. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.